Forward Head Posture Forward head posture is very common nowadays. Just look at anyone who works at a desk, students, or anyone who spends the majority of their day looking at some electronic device. Most of the time their head is looking down, their shoulders are rounded forward, and their chest is tight. Over time this causes neck pain, upper back pain, and tension headaches. Weak muscles Posterior shoulders Trapezius Rhomboids (mid back) Neck extensors (back of neck)

Tight muscles Neck flexors (front of neck) Pectorals (chest) Anterior shoulders

Solution To correct this postural defect, you have to stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weak muscles to create muscular balance. The next page will explain how to analyze your posture to see if you fall into this category.

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Analysis: Forward Head Posture Follow the steps to below to see if you fall into this category 1. Take a picture from the side in your underwear 2. Using a pencil, place 3 dots in the following places 1. Earhole 2. Center of your shoulder 3. Center of your hips 3. Connect the dots with a straight line just like the picture below 4. Does your picture look like the one below? 5. If it does, continue to the next page where you will perform muscle tests to confirm your postural defect. If it doesn't, continue to the next category.

In a normal posture, all 3 dots connect in a straight vertical line. In a person suffering from Forward Head Posture, the dot on the earhole is in front of the dot on the shoulder and hips and does not form a straight vertical line.

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Muscle Tests: Forward Head Posture To confirm if you have muscular tightness/weakness based on this postural defect, perform the muscle tests shown in the pictures below. If you have difficulty performing these tests, this means the muscles being tested are contributing to your bad posture and your back pain. Weak muscles Posterior shoulders Trapezius Rhomboids (mid back) Neck extensors (back of neck)

Tight muscles Neck flexors (front of neck) Pectorals (chest) Anterior shoulders

Pectorals/Anterior shoulders test

Place your right hand on a door frame. Now turn your body away from your hand until you feel your front shoulder and chest stretching. Hold this position for 15 seconds. If you're unable to perform this test or feel too much pain on the chest and shoulder, this means your chest and anterior shoulder is too tight and contributing to your neck pain. Repeat this test using the left hand.

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Posterior shoulders test

Start on your stomach. With your arms spread out by your sides, raise both arms off the ground and hold this position for 15 seconds. If you can't perform this test or you feel a lot of pain or tension on your upper back/shoulders, this means your posterior shoulders are weak and contributing to your neck pain.

Middle back test

Start on your stomach. Bend your elbows and bring them back as far as you can and hold that position for 15 seconds. If you can't perform this test or feel too much pain or tension in your middle back, this means your rhomboids (mid back muscles) are weak and contributing to your forward head posture.

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Neck extensors test

Start on your stomach. Hang your head off the edge of a bed, then lift your head and hold that position for 20 seconds. If you can't perform this test or feel too much pain or tension in the back of the neck, this means the muscles in the back of the neck are weak and are contributing to your neck pain.

Neck flexors test

Start on your back with your head hanging off the edge of a bed. Hold this position for 20 seconds. If you can't perform this test or feel too much pain or tension in the front of the neck, this means you have tight neck flexors and are contributing to your neck pain.

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Exercise Plan: Forward Head Posture As stated previously, in order to eliminate the neck/upper back pain caused by a Forward Head Posture, you must stretch the tight muscles and strengthen the weak muscles to create muscular balance. Weak muscles Posterior shoulders Trapezius Rhomboids (mid back) Neck extensors (back of neck)

Tight muscles Neck flexors (front of neck) Pectorals (chest) Anterior shoulders

These are the prescribed exercises to stretch the tight muscles seen with Forward Head Posture. Exercises

Sets

Repetitions

Guillotine (22)

4

10

Lateral flexion (23)

4

10

Door stretch (24)

4

10

Handcuffs (25)

4

10

These are the prescribed exercises to strengthen the weak muscles seen with Forward Head Posture. Exercises

Sets

Repetitions

Eagle (26)

4

10

Elbows up (27)

4

10

Elbows down (28)

4

10

Cervical extensions (29)

4

10

For pictures and descriptions of the exercises on this page, go to the Exercise Guide section of this book (Page 42). The numbers in parenthesis next to each exercise corresponds to the exercise number in the Exercise Guide.

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